On Sunday, August 13, the eve of the feast of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord, Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America & New York celebrated Divine Liturgy in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City.

On Monday, August 14, the feast of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord, after Divine Liturgy in Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, a procession was held for the blessing of water and newly harvested honey. The moleben and water blessing were led by monastery Archimandrite Luke (Murianka), joined by monastery clergy. From this day, the newly harvested honey is blessed and tasted.

On August 1-14, His Grace Nicholas, Bishop of Manhattan, led parishioners of the Russian Church Abroad from the U.S., Canada, and Australia on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Among the pilgrims were Priest George and Matushka Elizaveta Temidis from the New Kursk Root Hermitage in Mahopac, NY. Matushka Elizaveta is a regular contributor to the Eastern American Diocesan website, and her photographs are well known to our readers. The editors wish to express their sincerest gratitude to Matushka for sharing her photographs of the pilgrimage.

On Sunday, August 13, a special celebration in honor of Abbess Moisseia (Boubnoff) was held at Holy Ascension Convent on the Mount of Olives. The day began with Divine Liturgy in the convent cathedral, celebrated by Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan. His Grace was co-served by Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky; head of the Ecclesiastical Mission of the Russian Church Abroad in Jerusalem) and clergy accompanying Bishop Nicholas on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

On Monday the 8th and Tuesday the 9th of August, Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, paid an archpastoral visit to the Church of the Holy Great-Martyr & Healer Panteleimon in Hartford, CT. His Eminence led the All-Night Vigil and celebrated Divine Liturgy in honor of the church’s patronal feast day.

On the feast of Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY was granted a special blessing: during the festal services, the brotherhood and faithful prayed before an icon of the beloved Russian saint with segments of his hair, a piece of the rock upon which he prayed, and a part of his clothing.

On Sunday, August 13, 1967, on the eve of the Dormition Fast, the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City hosted the hierarchal consecration of the dean of students of Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY - Archimandrite Laurus (Škurla) - as Bishop of Manhattan, with an assignment to the position of secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and vicar to her First Hierarch, Metropolitan Philaret of Eastern America & New York. Metropolitan Philaret led the consecration, joined by a multitude of hierarchs and clergy. 

With the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, Archimandrite Maximos (Weimar), abbot of the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross, presently located in East Setauket, NY, announced that the Brotherhood will be leaving its current location to establish the Brotherhood of the Holy Hieromartyr Dionysios the Areopagite. Until 2010, the monastery was under the omophorion of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, and is now under the canonical authority of Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad. Recently, the Brotherhood faced a difficult decision; by choosing to remain within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, a change of residence is now necessary.

When "Yura" started kindergarten, he knew only three phrases in English, which was not rare for the families of Russian émigrés, who tried to delay the assimilation of their children. Even today, you will find Americans who speak flawless Russian. Long Island was home to one of the many post-WWII Russian communities which pooled their money one penny at a time to build their own modest churches in neighborhoods with large mansions, among which are St. Seraphim and Holy Intercession Churches.

From October 4-8, Los Angeles, CA will host the 26th Annual Russian Orthodox Church Musicians’ Conference, with the theme "Prayerful Sound in the Orthodox Church: Vocal Artistry of the Deacon, Reader, and Singer at Divine Services." 

At the session of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad, held on Tuesday, December 8, 2015, Synod members resolved to hold plate collections in all monasteries and parishes of the Russian Church Abroad on the second Sunday in September to benefit the Synodal Church Music Committee. Parishes are instructed to send the collected amount to their diocesan chanceries with the designation: "Synodal Liturgical Music Commission." Further information is available in the text of the encyclical directive, which can be viewed in PDF format here:

The second issue of Russian-language Pravoslavnaya Rus’ ("Orthodox Russia") has been released by Holy Trinity Publications in Jordanville, NY. 

On Tuesday, September 12, the PaTRAM Institute Singers Choir, conducted by Maestro Peter Jermihov, will sing an original all-English Liturgy based on the Russian style, commissioned by PaTRAM Institute and composed by Kurt Sander, at St. Alexander Nevsky Diocesan Cathedral in Howell, NJ. Hierarchal Divine Liturgy will be celebrated by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, in the presence of the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.

Deacon Andrei Psarev, teacher at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY since 1995, is offering a subscription to his lectures: "History of the Russian Church Abroad," "History of the Russian Church," "Canon Law," and "History of the Byzantine Empire."